Our invention comprises improvements in a transaxle transmission of the kind disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 176,948, filed on Aug. 11, 1980, by David A. Whitney and Steven Kavalhuha, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,413,536, which is assigned to the assignee of this invention. It is an improvement also in U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,223, issued to Stanley L. Pierce, which also is assigned to the assignee of this invention.
The gearing arrangement disclosed in the Whitney et al application and the Pierce patent employ a hydrokinetic torque converter and compound planetary gearing arranged on a common axis. Final drive gearing located between the hydrokinetic torque converter and the compound planetary gearing distributes torque to an output axis that is arranged in parallel disposition with respect to the input shaft axis. An output differential unit connects the output shaft of the gearing with transversely disposed axle halfshafts that are connected in turn to the vehicle traction wheels for a front wheel drive vehicle such as the Escort and Lynx vehicles manufactured in 1983 by Ford Motor Company. Those vehicles use a transaxle that includes a split torque gear unit situated between a hydrokinetic torque converter and planetary gearing so that the turbine of the hydrokinetic unit transfers only a portion of the driving torque during intermediate ratio and high speed ratio operation thus reducing the hydrokinetic power losses. The gearing is like the gearing system used in the transmission disclosed in the Whitney et al application and the Pierce patent.